Method and apparatus for making textured fabrics



July 9, 1963 R. J. MCNAMARA 3,096,559

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING TEXTURED FABRICS Filed NOV. 22, 1961 2Sheets-Sheet l WAVIIV6 0? KN/fT/N MACH/NE ATTOP/VE'Y 3,096,559 METHODAND APPARATUS FOR MAKING TEXTURED FABRICS Filed Nov. 22, 1961 July 9,1963 R. J. MGNAMARA 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKINGTEXTURED FABRICS Robert J. McNamara, Folsom, Pa., assignor to JosephBancroft & Sons (10., Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware FiledNov. 22, 1961, Ser. No. 154,186 Claims. (Cl. 28-1) This inventionrelates to a method and apparatus for making a textured fabric and moreparticularly to a method of forming bulked and flat areas in apredetermined pattern in a knitted or woven fabric.

An object is to provide a novel and improved method and apparatus of theabove type.

Another object is to provide a method of treating a crimped yarn duringweaving or knitting so as to produce the above textured effect.

More specifically the invention applies to a method of weaving orknitting wherein a yarn sheet is taken from a warp beam and fed into theloom or knitting machine for fabrication. If the yarn on the beam is ofthe type which has been previously crimped and wound under tension onthe cop or beam the yarn is in a temporarily straight form wherein thecrimp has been straightened out but will be restored when the yarn isrelaxed during fabrication.

The invention is based upon the fact that the crimp may be permanentlyremoved from the yarn by subjecting the yarn, while in the straightform, to setting conditions. Accordingly heat is applied by a patternroll or the like to selected positions of the yarn sheet as it is fedfrom the warp beam to the loom or knitting machine. When the yarn isrelaxed after fabrication the crimp will be restored only to the areaswhich have not been heated by the pattern roll and a patterned ortextured eifect is obtained.

United States Patent 0 The nature of the invention will be betterunderstood from the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which a specific embodiment has been set forthfor purposes of illustration.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a fabric embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial section taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical, longitudinal section taken on'the line 3-3 of FIG.4 illustrating one type of apparatus for making the product of FIG. 1;and I FIG. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 44 of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawings more in detail the invention is shown asembodied in apparatus comprising upper and lower warp beams 10 and 11respectively carrying warp sheets 12 and 13 respectively of the typecommonly used in warp knitting machines of the tricot type as shown forexample in the Young Patent 2,476,344, dated July 19, 1949.

The warp 12 is of the crimped type such as nylon continuous filamentyarn which has been crimped in a stuifer crimper and wound on a cop orbeam under a tension to substantially remove the crimp and leave theyarn in straight condition. However the crimp will be restored byheating the yarn in tensionless state after weaving or knitting.

In accordance with this invention the warp sheet 12 while still in thestraight state is passed over a guide rod 14 in a downwardly inclineddirection over a series of cam faces 15 carried by earns 16 which aremounted eccentrically on a cam shaft 17. The cams 16 may beindividuallyadjusted about the shaft 17 and fixed in place 3,096,559Patented July 9, 1963 by set screws 18. Each cam face 15 is of a widthto engage a plurality of the warp yarns 12 so as to elevate such yarnsat a selected point during the rotation of the shaft 17.

A shoe 20 which may be heated by suitable means such as resistance rod21 is positioned above the yarn sheet 12 adjacent the cam faces 15 andin a position to be engaged by the yarns as they areelevated by the camfaces. The cam shaft 17 is mounted on an adjustable bracket 22 forvarying its position with respect to the warp sheet.

The shoe 20 is mounted on brackets 23 from which it is heat insulated bypads 24. The brackets 23 are apertured for adjustment purposes, and aremounted on a rod 25 which is adjustably mounted in clamping bars 26. Theyarn sheet 12 then passes under a guide rod 27 and over a tension rod 28which is mounted on a pivoted arm 29. From the tension rod 28 the yarnsheet passes to a fabricating station shown as a knitting or weavingmachine 30 such as a tricot knitting machine as disclosed in the Youngpatent above referred to.

The warp sheet 13 passes over a rod 31 to the machine 30 where it iswoven or knitted with the yarns 12 to form a knitted or woven product.

In the operation of this apparatus the yarn 12 is heated when it ispressed against the shoe 20 by the cams 16. Since the yarn is held undertension during this heating it becomes set in straight condition and thecrimp in this portion of the yarn is permanently removed. The crimp inthe portions of the yarn which are not thus heated, however, will berestored when the fabric is heated and relaxed after fabrication.

By arranging the earns 16 in a predetermined manner a pattern effect maybe obtained. In the embodiment shown the cams are alternated anddisplaced by so as to produce a checkerboard effect as shown in FIG. 1.In this figure the flat areas 41 correspond to the areas in which theyarns have been heated by the shoe and the bulked areas 42 represent theareas where the crimp has been retained. This patterned, textured effectcan be varied as desired by suitable setting of the cams 16.

While the invention has been shown as adapted for use with a tricotknitting machine using a pair of warp beams it may also be applied tothe warp beam of a loom for obtaining a similar effect.

Whatis claimed is:

1. The method of making a textured fabric which comprises feeding asheet of crimped yarn to a fabricating station under a tension tosubstantially remove the crimp, applying heat to selected parts of saidyarn sheet in a predetermined pattern to produce a permanent straightset in the heated potrions of the yarns, fabricating said yarn sheetinto a fabric and heat-treating said fabric to relax the yarns and torestore the crimp to said yarns except in the areas of said straight setyarns whereby a patterned textured effect is obtained.

2. The method set forth in claim 1 in which said yarn sheet is passed inheat exchange relationship with a heated pattern member adapted to applyheat to selected areas of said sheet.

3. Apparatus for making a textured fabric comprising a warp beamcarrying a set of crimped yarns, means feeding a sheet of said yarnsfrom said beam to a fabricating machine, a heating shoe positioned alongand normally out of contact with said yarn sheet, a pattern memberadapted to raise selected yarns of said sheet into contact with saidshoe for heating the yarns to permanently set the yarn in straight formin the heated areas.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 in which said pattern membercomprises a series of cams disposed along the path of said yarn, andmeans mounting said cams for adjustment for varying the pattern effect.

3 5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 in which said 2,953,116 patternmember comprises a rotating member having 3,009,312 raised areas adaptedto contact and raise said yarns into 3,034,196 contact with said heatingshoe.

References Cited in the file of this patent 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS2,058,948 Blumenthal et a1 Oct. 27, 1936 4 Burleson Sept. 13, 1960 Seemet a1. Nov. 21, 1961 Bohmfalk May 15, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS Canada Aug.22, 1961

1. THE METHOD OF MAKING A TEXTURED FABRIC WHICH COMPRISES FEEDING ASHEET OF CRIMPED YARN TO A FABRICATING STATION UNDER A TENSION TOSUBSTANTIALLY REMOVE THE CRIMP, APPLYING HEAT TO SELECTED PARTS OF SAIDYARN SHEET IN A PREDETERMINED PATTERN TO PRODUCE A PERMANENT STRAIGHTSET IN THE HEATED PORTIONS OF THE YARNS, FABRICATING SAID YARN SHEETINTO A FABRIC AND HEAT-TREATING SAID FABRIC TO RELAX THE YARNS AND TORESTORE THE CRIMP TO SAID YARNS EXCEPT IN THE AREAS OF SAID STRAIGHT SETYARNS WHEREBY A PATTERNED TEXTURED EFFECT IS OBTAINED.
 3. APPARATUS FORMAKING A TEXTURE FABRIC COMPRISING A WRAP BEAM CARRYING A SET OF CRIMPEDYARNS, MEANS FEEDING A SHEET OF SAID YARNS FROM SAID BEAM TO AFABRICATING MACHINE, A HEATING SHOE POSITIONED ALONG AND NORMALLY OUT OFCONTACT WITH SAID YARN SHEET, A PATTERN MEMBER ADAPTED TO RAISE SELECTEDYARNS OF SAID SHEET INTO CONTACT WITH SAID SHOE FOR HEATING THE YARNS TOPERMANENTLY SET THE YARN IN STRAIGHT FORM IN THE HEATED AREAS.